Author: News-Press NOW

Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A room once used to store supplies has been transformed into a space to support and improve the lives of those in the homeless community.

That was the vision Crossing Outreach Ministry Executive Director Roger Lenander had in mind when planning the non-profit’s recently unveiled offices and community center at 613 S. 7th St.

For Lenander, the primary goal of the new venue is to provide help to the homeless, with new services to be offered beginning in 2026.

An inside look at the Crossings new venue taken on Dec. 23, 2025

“Starting after the first (day) of the (new) year we will have meetings once a week for those on the streets or are in need of shelter. They can come to talk in a group setting about where they are in their lives, if they want to move beyond being homelessness and ways to bring more stability to their lives,” Lenander said. “The sessions will contain not only those on the streets but also people from different agencies who can come and be a part of that conversation.”

Among the ideas planned for the center include life skills classes, bible study groups and social gatherings.

In addition to the meetings, the space will also be used to help provide food and shelter for over 1,800 individuals.

The new center marks the latest resource offered by the longstanding non-profit, including a thrift store and food bank which helps support countless people.

“The other thing we offer is our men’s Re-Entry Program, which will provide a space for them to be able to have meals or spend time together with family and friends,” Lenander said. “We believe this can help them on their road to finding stability in their lives.”

The Crossing Outreach is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is located on 613 S. 7th St. For information on the services can be found by visiting their website at https://crossing-outreach.org/.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — United Way and the St. Joseph School District are teaming up to help parents and kids heading into kindergarten next year as part of a two-part readiness program.

United Way of Greater St. Joseph has announced its “KinderClub” program will be offered for free in all elementary schools in the district with dual programs taking place on Jan 13., 2026 and Feb 10., 2026 at elementary schools and the Noyes Administration Building.

The program aims to assist children — as well as parents and caregivers — with entering kindergarten for the 2026-27 school year. Sessions will be geared toward school readiness skills, while also providing information and resources to parents as their kids prepare to enter a key stage in their education.

Kindergarten readiness sessions will be led by St. Joseph School District staff. Families will also receive a book at the end of each session to add to their home libraries and tools to facilitate learning at home.

Those with additional questions or seeking information are encouraged to visit stjosephunitedway.org/sb6parents or call United Way of Greater St. Joseph at 816-364-2381.

For questions regarding which location to attend, call the St. Joseph School District Enrollment Center at 816-671-4115.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In the early months of the new year, a local coffee shop will have a new stationary home in the heart of Downtown St. Joseph.

Moony’s Coffee is planning the transition from a mobile truck to a physical coffee shop at 510 Edmond St. next February, next to 1st Barrel Brewing.

Since opening back in 2024, the business has seen steady growth, with a loyal base of customers often stopping in to try their popular specialty beverages such as the white chocolate-based drink called Moonlight Mocha.

Over time, Moony’s owners Maggie Johnson and Elizabeth Generaux both recognized the need for a storefront-based business model, particularly to help with storage of products and supplies during the winter months.

An inside look at Moony’s new location taken on Dec. 23, 2025.

“We were trying to figure out something to solve our issues during winter,” Johnson said. “Last year we had to close during winter because supplies froze over. We made a post on Facebook and the owner of this building reached out to us.”

The transition from food truck to storefront will allow Moony’s to stay open year-round. Generaux said creating a base of customers in the Downtown area will be key following the move away from the Belt Highway.

“It’s hard to find a community in Downtown because we’ve mostly been on the Belt Highway and we have a lot of regulars there,” Generaux said. “We kind of find our following in Downtown St. Joseph. It’s a good problem to have, I think the widespread community of people and different personalities throughout the day will help.”

A tentative opening date is set for Feb. 14, 2026, including a possible soft opening before then.

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Danielle Bailey

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A local ballroom is ready to welcome guests for New Year’s Eve and officially reintroduce itself to the community.

The United, located at 602 Felix St. in Downtown St. Joseph, will host a New Year’s Eve Bash on Dec. 31. The event will feature live music from Under the Influence, as well as appetizers and bar food and a complimentary glass of champagne at midnight.

The Bash is a collaborative effort between the venue and several Downtown businesses, including Parkway Distillery, The Den, River Bluff Brewing, Felix Street Gourmet and 1st Barrel Brewing.

The venue has undergone a clean-up and renovation and is now ready to host weddings, celebrations and special events. Organizers hope this is a new beginning for The United.

“We wanted to create an event that brings people Downtown and gives them a chance to experience The United in a fun, welcoming way,” organizers said in a news release. “This building has so much history, and now it’s ready for its next chapter.”

Doors open at 8 p.m. and the event is 21 and over. Tickets are available on Facebook via The United’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/unitedstjoe.

A single cover charge of $20 for early birds or $25 at the door will apply. Thirty-five VIP tickets are also available for $50. The over charge also grants access to all participating Downtown bars.

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Patrick Holleron

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — City officials and local organizations are strengthening coordination in their push to secure federal funds to help reduce homelessness in St. Joseph.

City Councilmembers approved a pair of resolutions in October to authorize consulting services with two organizations as part of the Continuum of Care Planning Grant with Homebase, LLC, and United Way of Greater St. Joseph.

Grant funds worth approximately $99,000 will be provided two the two organizations to help secure independent contractors to serve as coordinators to assist the City in submitting HUD funding availability applications.

City of St. Joseph Community Development Manager Mary Kay Griffin explained of how the resolutions provide aid.

“The Continuum of Care Planning Grant is strictly used for planning activities,” Griffin said. “The City won’t be providing additional services, rather we contract with two subcontractors in United Way and Homebase. Having the monthly meetings helps facilitate materials for the homeless providers.”

In planning meetings, United Way primarily handles the local issues observed with the homeless population while Homebase provides assistance in applying for funding from HUD and bringing perspective on other communities facing similar issues on a larger scale.

“The work that happens through the planning grant and in coordination with Homebase, the City (of St. Joseph and United Way has worked well the last couple of years in terms of meeting the deadlines and coordinating,” United Way President Kylee Strough said. “The meetings help perform tasks in a timely fashion and provide communication with multiple partners delivering direct programs and services.”

Strough also emphasized that while the meetings don’t solve homelessness, contributions by multiple groups are being made to shorten the time individuals experience homelessness and eventually provide stability to get them back on their feet.

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TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — With Christmas just two days away, the Adopt-A-Family program is close to having all of its families adopted.

This year, the program reached 881 families and 2,850 people. Seven families still need to be adopted.

AFL-CIO Executive Director Nichi Seckinger said 15 adopters came in on Monday to adopt several families.

“Which is wonderful. We’re just waiting for them to get items back for us, so we can get them to the families or to get the items delivered to the household,” she said.

There are 28 families on the wait list for the agency’s Gift Room.

“The thing with our wait list families is because they didn’t get registered for the program, they can get items out of the Gift Room, but we don’t supplement their shopping,” she said. “If they can’t find things in the Gift Room, unfortunately, there is nothing else we can provide for them.”

Seckinger said the Gift Room is currently depleted, as all possible gifts are out, ready to be rehomed to families.

“As far as storage area and our supply room, there’s very little left. The only thing left are board games and Barbies, she said. “That’s only because we had so many to start with, and they just weren’t going as fast as some other things; everything else is pretty much cleared out back there.”

Seckinger said donors are continuing to drop items off at the Gift Room as Christmas inches closer.

“We do have stuff coming in, we’ve had donors walk in yesterday and today. I know we had a couple more people call and said that they are going bring some stuff by for the room, which is wonderful,” she said.

The program is $65,000 behind in monetary donations. Seckinger said the agency will finish out the year with all families adopted, but is worried about what will be left when Adopt-A-Family is done.

“The agency is going to have to cover that cost, and that’s where we’re nervous because we just don’t have a lot in reserve to cover Christmas. Christmas doesn’t pay for itself. The agency doesn’t really have the dollars to cover it,” she said.

Seckinger said there are costs associated with the program that are, unfortunately, unavoidable.

“That’s where it’s going to end up hurting the agency,” she said. “If we can’t get those things covered, it’ll put us in a bad position into next year, and can jeopardize some of the other programs as well.”

Seckinger expressed gratitude for the community, noting that any donation has been helpful.

“It’s such a stressful but fulfilling thing to run this program and to see what people are capable of doing for each other. To know that it has a profound effect on the adopters as much as it does the folks they helped,” Seckinger said. “We know that we’re doing the right thing with this program, and we know that it’s a good thing; we know it’s exactly what people need this time of year. Without the support from the community, we couldn’t do it.”

Monetary donations can be dropped off at AFL-CIO Community Services, located at 1203 N. Sith St., or by visiting its website.

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Cameron Montemayor

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Northside residents will soon be able to enjoy the taste of a fan-favorite BBQ restaurant on St. Joseph Avenue beginning next spring.

Big Daddy & Sons BBQ has confirmed plans to open a second restaurant at 2022 St. Joseph Avenue next to the Brown Bear Tavern and adjacent to First Ward, a busy area for drivers and foot traffic on the avenue.

A Big Daddy & Sons flag is shown inside the window at 2022 St. Joseph Avenue next to the Brown Bear Tavern on Tuesday in St. Joseph. The restaurant confirmed it will open a second location at the store in March.

Owner and operator Malkaam Muhammad said the goal is to have the store open in early March just in time for St. Patrick’s Day and the increase in holiday foot traffic.

“I just want to take advantage of the Avenue. We want to have a grand opening event on top of it, making it a big deal. I know tons of people will be out,” he said enthusiastically.

The plan is for the second restaurant to feature a slightly different schedule of hours to align with evening and late night customers, especially those at nearby bars.

The new location marks the latest step for the fast-growing restaurant which opened its first official storefront in Midtown last year at 2121 Francis St. The business started 25 years ago as a food truck, amassing a loyal and passionate fanbase of customers in the time since.

“It feels good seeing where we started and seeing where we are now, and just growing along the way,” Muhammad said. “We hope to have continuous support from the community to continue to grow.”

The renovated dining area at Big Daddy & Sons BBQ is shown at 2121 Francis St. on Monday in St. Joseph. The restaurant will be opening a second location on St. Joseph Avenue in March.

The announcement of a second location comes as the restaurant celebrates the completion of a new-look dine-in setting for their Francis Street restaurant, which now has the capacity to seat up to 40 customers.

Big Daddy & Sons completed a wide range of significant renovations in recent months to prepare the interior for dining, including new booths, painting and a large TV for sports and event viewing. The restaurant also includes a drive-thru.

“We did renovations to everything in there. Got the permits and what not. We designed it to have that old school at home feeling and to serve up some good barbecue,” Muhammad said.

Muhammad said the restaurant will continue to offer catering for businesses and events moving forward, as well as their mobile food truck for certain occasions.

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Danielle Bailey

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Students from St. Joseph, Savannah and Maryville were honored with nominations to military service academies, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) has announced.

Members of Congress are tasked with selecting qualified students from their districts to attend one of America’s prestigious military academies each year. Nominations are very competitive as various military service academies have extremely selective admission standards.

The following students received nominations from Rep. Graves:

Jaxon Limle — U.S. Naval Academy (Central High School)

Jarett Brooner — U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Savannah High School)

Zechariah Compton – U.S. Air Force Academy (Savannah High School)

Benjamin Jaster — U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Maryville High School)

Rep. Graves created an Academy Nominations Review Board to help with the nomination process, consisting of military service academy graduates, veterans and citizens of the Sixth District. All applicants were interviewed and reviewed before final recommendations were sent to Rep. Graves.

Students interested in learning more about being appointed to military service academies are encouraged to contact Graves’ district office in Kansas City or visit graves.house.gov, particularly early in their high school career.

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Danielle Bailey

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Skaith Elementary School is proud to announce one of its own was recognized as the Green Hills Teacher of the Month.

Kaitlyn Hofmeister, a fifth grade teacher, was presented with the honor in December. She’s taught at Skaith for three years.

To nominate a teacher, visit https://www.newspressnow.com/category/play/contests/.

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Prajukta Ghosh

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — The St. Joseph School District has launched a new District Reorganization webpage to help families and community members better understand upcoming changes. 

The page provides detailed information about the planned consolidation of schools, new attendance boundaries and updated feeder patterns.  

Director of Communications and Community Relations, Becky Dunn, said it’s a helpful resource for families and the community to understand the changes coming in the district.  

“We have a link right on our main web page, which is organized under district plans, so you can also find it through that menu,” Dunn said.  

The webpage was added shortly after SJSD’s Thanksgiving break in November and includes a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions to address common concerns.  

Dunn said families who are unable to find answers are encouraged to contact the district directly. Their questions can then be addressed and added to the page with information.  

“We wanted to provide clarity for our families and transparency with easy-to-find information about the upcoming changes, which was the reason we decided to add this page,” Dunn said.  

The site also includes financial impacts and analyses of alternative reorganization options.  

Dunn noted the page outlines two different cost-savings projections and covers a range of topics families may have questions about.  

“The web page also provides information about our staffing plan and it has information about accountability and oversight and some of the measures that the district has taken to be transparent,” Dunn added.  

Since its launch, the page has received several thousand views. Dunn said the data shows families are actively using the resource.  

“We hope that families have clarity and information about what the district reorganization plan is and also that they can find information about the new attendance areas based on the plan that’s adopted,” Dunn said.  

Dunn also highlighted the interactive boundary map featured on the page, which allows families to enter their address to see their new attendance area. 

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